Keywords

The Walt Disney Company, The Walt Disney Studio, Animators and Animation, Animated Film, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Pixar, Cinema, Mickey Mouse

Abstract

“The Mormon Influence at Disney,” provides a history of Mormons—members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)— involved with the Walt Disney Company, including animators, composers, and administrators. Beginning with cartoonist Floyd Gottfredson’s influence on the development of Mickey Mouse, the history continues with the influence of animators like Eric Larson, Les Clark, Judge Whitaker, Scott Whitaker, Don Bluth, and Richard Rich. Beginning as an animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Larson went on to become a member of the Disney Studio’s powerful board known as “the nine old men.” Mormon composers covered include Leigh Harline and Robert Brunner. Also discussed is Ed Catmull, Pixar, and the development of computer animation. Religion in Disney films is also discussed. This chapter appears in the first volume of Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon (Praeger 2013), a comprehensive treatment of Mormons and popular culture, providing an introduction and wide-ranging overview of the topic.

Original Publication Citation

J. Michael Hunter, "The Mormon Influence at Disney," in Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon, ed. J. Michael Hunter (Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2013), 1:45-70